Forum:Please explain how to use my own domain name for a wiki (e.g. MyName.wikia.com = wiki.MyName.com) like Blogger etc.

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I have a registered domain, let's call it MyName.org.

I would like to have wiki.MyName.org point to MyName.wikia.com (which has already been created).

I have edited the CNAME entries with my DNS provider to point wiki.MyName.org to MyName.wikia.com, but it seems to be "intercepted" and you are taken to www.wikia.com home page.

I have this working using the same method with Blogger/Blogspot, where you have to advise blogger you want it to accept this domain name.

I have seen other wikis on wikia do this (MemoryAlpha comes to mind).

I've searched the help and e-mailed but no luck to far...

How can I have wikia accept my domain name so that this happens?

Andrew d mackenzie 14:47, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I have this issue as well.

I would also like to know how to do this for my wiki, Starwarsmush.wikia.com - User_talk:Aknar

Host header

Wikia host many web sites. They don't use a separate web server with a different IP address for each site. Instead, most (all?) of the sites use a single IP address. You can confirm this with 'ping YOUR_WIKI_NAME.wikia.com' and 'ping SOME_OTHER_WIKI_NAME.wikia.com'. It doesn't matter if the ping actually works, but you will see that the two names resolve to the same IP address.

This means you can't just use a DNS entry to redirect to your wiki. The web client (browser) has to send the "host header" (URL) with its request so that the Wikia web server knows which wiki you want. Therefore you need a web server installed for wiki.MyName.org and it would need to issue a suitable redirect to web browsers. --JohnBeckett 07:32, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

You can also check IP of any domain name on http://network-tools.com/. — TulipVorlax 12:05, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Correction

Web browsers always send the full address to the server in header info with the request. Most of the web sites today are located on a single IP, and the server sends the appropriate page for the domain. So a server is not needed, wouldn't even work (you would be sending the visitor to wikia with a redirection and he/she would go on there, not what is asked for). What needed is just a small declaration of your domain name on the wikia's side, like most of the wiki hosts today, which some of them require you to apply for a paid service in order to use your own domain.

Wikia offered this for sometime, like wowwiki.org. However they decided to stop the offer for future requests and keep them on a subdomain. So currently you don't have a chance to use your own domain name on wikia other than frame redirection (showing the wikia page in a frame to keep your domain name in the address bar and optionally additional parts like toolbar on top). There are some free frame redirection services.

LuckyLuke

Quoted text from JohnBeckett :

This means you can't just use a DNS entry to redirect to your wiki. The web client (browser) has to send the "host header" (URL) with its request so that the Wikia web server knows which wiki you want. Therefore you need a web server installed for wiki.MyName.org and it would need to issue a suitable redirect to web browsers.